How Much Does It Cost to Build a Patio Roof?

Spring Valley, NY — April 17, 2013

As you explore a patio roof project, the first question on your mind may be: How much is it going to cost me? The basic cost of a patio roof addition will determine if you decide to take on the project yourself or hire a professional for the job.

Pricing a patio roof isn’t easy. A patio roof can be made from a wide variety of materials to match the existing roofing on a house, including wood, aluminum, asphalt, or even clay tile.

The price of a patio roof will depend directly on:

Roof Size

Roof Materials

Roof Slope

Roof Difficulty

Experts estimate that a patio roof could cost from $10-$50 per square foot.

This wide budgetary range takes into account the varying costs of the materials listed above. As you begin to price patio roof additions with local roofers, a basic aluminum roof may cost $6000-$10,000 for a 20’ x 20’ area. Adding wood latticing to a roof of the same size could add $500-$10,000 onto a project.

No matter what type of roof material you choose, venting is a top priority. As covered in a previous chapter, venting in a roof structure is critical to promote air circulation in each season.

Proper venting in a patio roof will prevent moisture from accumulating in hotter weather to extend the life of the roof structure.

A patio roof that is installed within 10 feet of trees may incur additional costs for tree protection.

When pricing patio roofs, you may come upon two basic options available to you:

DIY Patio Covers – All materials and instructions are included for simple patio cover construction.

Professional Patio Roof – For a professional patio roof addition, a roofer will measure and cut appropriate materials to fit an exact patio size. Most common patio roof covers will be made from wood or aluminum or may integrate specialized materials to match existing roofing.

If you’re hoping to save money on patio roofing, you can look for an affordable contractor or do the project yourself. While it is fairly straightforward to construct a DIY patio cover, building a patio roof is a much larger project indeed.

Bringing us back to the DIY versus contractor debate in the introduction of this book, if you feel confident in your skill set as a roofer, you can save money by building a patio roof yourself. You can use the basic instructions in this chapter to guide your project; for more complex patio roofing needs, it’s recommended to contact a professional roofing company.